UPDATE #6: TIT FOR TAT - A SPATE OF KURDISH

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000458

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/18/2025
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER KDEM PHUM PTBS IZ
SUBJECT: UPDATE #6: TIT FOR TAT - A SPATE OF KURDISH
SECURITY FORCES KIDNAPPINGS

REF: A. BAGHDAD 451

B. BAGHDAD 413

C. BAGHDAD 381

D. BAGHDAD 375

E. BAGHDAD 369

Classified By: Political Counselor Yuri Kim for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
.


1. (C) SUMMARY. The KRG leadership remains fixated on the
continued incarceration of three Wanna detainees, charged
with assaulting the Ninewa governor and demands their
immediate release. In apparent retaliation, unidentified
Kurdish security elements - presumably Assayesh and/or
Zervani - detained the Hamdaniya District Council Chair and
his driver on February 17, as well as a Hamdaniya District
Council member (and candidate for the March election). Of
the 11 detainees seized by Kurdish security elements the
previous day in Wanna (ref. A),five remain in custody. We
have confirmed that PGOV Nujaifi's report that Nimrud
District Mayor was abducted by Assayesh is false. USF-I
confirmed that demonstrations and a utility workers' strike
in Hamdaniya have not devolved into violence. Both Mosul KDP
Chief and KRG Minister of Interior (KMOI) deny any knowledge
of extra-judicial detentions by Kurdish Security Forces
(KSF). KRG Intelligence Chief Masrur Barzani denied any KRG
role in orchestrating abductions in Ninewa. The RRT Erbil
Team Leader, Senior Advisor to Northern Iraq (SANI),Ninewa
PRT Team Leader and USF-I continue to urge the KRG to release
all extra-judicial detainees and press both sides to act
decisively to restrain their respective security forces and
restore calm. We are examining political approaches that may
help de-escalate the situation. END SUMMARY.

ASSAYESH KIDNAPPINGS
--------------


2. (C) On February 17, according to several sources that
include PGOV Nujaifi and Hamdaniya District Major Nissan
Marmoui, Kurdish security elements kidnapped Hamdaniya
Council Chair Hussein Hamad Younis and his driver. On
February 18, USF-N met with Zervani Commander Major General
Aziz who did not deny the action and said he would provide an
update on Younis' status. (Note: Hamdaniya is PGOV's home
district. End Note.)


3. (C) According to Shebak parliamentarian Henin Qeddo and
Ninewa Provincial Council (PC) Security Committee member
Abdul Raheem, Kurdish security elements broke into District
Council member Sa'ad Suleman Abdullah's home on February 17
and are now holding him in the KRG or KSF-controlled
territory of Ninewa. The independent Assyrian Christian mayor
of Tal Kayf, Bassim Bello informed the PRT that 5 of 11
detainees abducted by Kurdish security elements on February
16 remain in custody in Sikrenn (Dohuk). PGOV and Bello
supplied a list of the captives' names to the Ninewa PRT. On
February 18, there was an unconfirmed report that 40
civilians who are PGOV's acquaintances were taken to Dohuk
but were subsequently released. PGOV's February 17 report
that Hamdaniyah District Mayor was abducted by KSF proved to
be false. Iraqi Army reports on February 17 that KSF had
abducted the Mayor of Nimrud were confirmed false/false by
both the PRT and KRG Chief of Staff Fuad Hussein, who was
responding to an urgent contact from SANI.

WHO'S IN CHARGE?
--------------


4. (C) Mosul KDP Chief Keshro Goran continued to show his
frustration to PRTOffs at the news of additional
"kidnappings" by Kurdish security elections," adhering to his
story that KDP was not culpable and other divisions within
KRG may be misbehaving.


5. (C) In a February 18 meeting with KMOI Karim Sinjari,
Q5. (C) In a February 18 meeting with KMOI Karim Sinjari,
SANI raised the issue of Assayesh detentions, noting that the
actual detention of the four senior police officials in Tal
Kayf caused a wave of rumored abductions by KRG security
elements to appear credible. SANI provided KMOI with the
names of six civilians reportedly detained by Assayesh or
Zervani in Ninewa and taken to Dohuk, as well as names of the
Hamdaniya Council Chair and his driver. SANI stressed that
the latter two were reportedly taken by Zervani (police
forces accountable to Ministry of Interior),and requested
that Sinjari: a) ascertain the facts, b) engineer release of
all detainees and c) ensure no further abductions. KMOI
Sinjari denied knowledge of any extrajudicial detentions by
Assayesh or Zervani. Although Sinjari agreed to investigate
the cases and direct KRG assets to refrain from such actions,
his body language remained negative. He warned again and

again that every day the remaining Wanna detainees remain in
jail the situation "becomes more complicated," and we could
see "more of the same." He characterized the detentions by
Kurdish security elements as tantamount to spontaneous
reactions by "the people, who are angry." SANI rejected
this, pointing out that these abductions are being carried
out by an organized apparatus under KRG control, and are
dangerous and provocative. SANI stated that more abductions,
or reprisals of any sort, will just put more political
leverage in hands not friendly to the Kurds.


6. (C) In a separate exchange with USG officials, KRG
Intelligence Chief Masrur Barzani similarly denied any KRG
role in orchestrating abductions in Ninewa Province. He
asserted that any such actions were being carried out by
individual Kurdish security elements without instructions
from Erbil.


7. (C) COMMENT. KRG leaders remain fixated on winning the
release of the three remaining Wanna detainees from February

1. While not acknowledging that reprisal detentions by
Kurdish security elements are being coordinated from Erbil,
there is no visible commitment to halt extra-judicial
detentions. Contrary to what the Kurdish leaders tell us,
information from a range of sources indicates that the
Kurdish street is not wrapped up in the Ninewa detainee
situation. Public attention in the KRG is more focused on
the election campaign, with headlines dominated by reports of
PUK-Goran violence in Sulemaniyah. We will continue to
emphasize rule of law and the principle of freedom of
movement in addressing the Ninewa situation, but are
examining broader political approaches, both with PGOV
Nujaifi and the KRG to help de-escalate this situation. END
COMMENT.
FORD